Test/review of LiitoKala INR26650-50A 5000mAh (Black)

There is probably no such thing as “the” Liitokala store as even the supposedly official store sells fake 18650’s. However, I purchased my Liitokala 26650 from HERE and posted an initial capacity test HERE. It’s obviously a real 26650 that doesn’t turn inside-out, but…

The cells people are receiving seem to consistently report more than 5400mAh, while HKJ’s tests of both cyan and black Liitokala 26650’s were around 5200mAh at the 500mA discharge rate that many chargers impose. It’s not at all clear if these are still the same cells tested by HKJ, but I’ve found that my cell performs fine in my Astrolux FT03 SST40, which I use every day.

However, my LK 26650 is not quite as bright on a lux meter as a high-drain 21700 in the aforementioned light, so I would want a better cell in an FT03 XHP50.2. The Shockli 5500mAh is pricey and rather difficult to obtain unless you buy a pair, but it’s certainly a better cell, especially at 10A and above.

For $4.21/ea. with free shipping (for me in the U.S., at least), the Liitokala is an unbeatable value. I use my FT03 for sustained periods and tend to appreciate the long runtime of the 26650 when compared with the short-lived, slight brightness increase of a high-drain 21700.

At that price and capacity (1610mAh/$ for 10 cells, shipped), this should be a good cell for use in a battery pack. The cell mass might lead to cooling issues in larger packs, but likely only with extreme currents.

You purchased from #217753, liitokala Official Store, literally. No big deal, of course, I could have done the same. These cells are easy to obtain for chinese lads and lasses, they're manufactured by Power Long Battery, likely the market leader in 26650 development and manufacturing by a long shot. Their latest developments look to be in LiFePO4 cells, with the highest power delivery/discharge rate 26650 (rewrapped by Vapcell, reviewed by HKJ) and a newer, 3800mAh LiFePO4 cell (more here). From a more western standpoint their cell product page is an incomprehensible mess.

Thank you for the replies leftdisconnected & Barkuti this issue of fake batteries really is a PITA

In China they are not content to simply Knock off a product at reasonable quality, as soon as a Chinese product gets any reputation for being good it is immediately knocked off again by other Chinese competitors then eventually just out right Faked

Trying to find legit batteries is an ongoing issue , I usually stick with Panasonic NCR18650 , if i see 3400Mah i consider them genuine (perhaps this is a mistake) but capacity readings on my charger are really all i have to go on.

With these newer 26650 cells there are already stacks of fakes which don’t even get close to their claimed specification and in some cases are quite dangerous, 2 sets i’ve tested so far struggle to make even half their claimed capacity and i have no idea what their TRUE safe max C discharge rating is

I have just ordered a batch from #217753, liitokala Official Store that leftdisconnected & Barkuti posted, il update the thread when they arrive to confirm if they still measure up to previous samples

You left off the letter after NCR18650. With 3400 I’m guessing NCR18650B. This is a very old model, the GA is newer and better.

With 18650 it’s easy to find legit cells. Stick to the big Japanese company brands (LG, Panasonic/Sanyo, Sony, Samsung) and buy from trusted sources. Don’t buy from companies you have never heard of or have no reputation.

26650 is a different story. None of the big Japanese companies make this size. You can still buy from trusted sources, though. I know a lot of Europeans buy from https://eu.nkon.nl/

Yes NCR18650B they have served me very well for a number of years and come in button top (protected) so i trust them in my multi cell torches ive not bothered to try anything else i assume you’re referring to the Sanyo NCR18650GA do they also come in button top protected??

Nkon is by far the best source for batteries in Europe, low prices and you don’t have to worry about fakes.

The keep power 5500mah Protected on that site look interesting thanks!

Yes, same company now.
It should be available in button top protected. It basically replaced the older B version. Same capacity, but higher charge and discharge ability. It can maintain higher voltage under load. The chart below shows voltage with very light loads. The difference gets bigger as the load increases. I do not buy the B version any more.


.

Kinda looks like I won’t be either , they do look a good bit better thank you for the info!!

NKON has some interesting offers right now:

Of course, classic Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA and Samsung INR18650-35E.

Concerning li-ion 26650s NKON hasn't anything worth mentioning, imho. They have rewrapped cells but little OEM stuff. Efest is run by an undependable bunch of dorks, no need to say anything else (go ask Mooch at the E-Cigarette Forum). KeepPower likes to capacity overrate their cells and asks more money than I'd be willing to pay.

The LiitoKala 26650 cells are a safe bet with excellent value. If you aim to get the PLB INR26650-55A (1C rated), Shockli is the way to go as far as I know.

In LiFePO4 league, the ANR26650M1-B looks great.

Suffice to say value for money is important for me.

That is the PLB 5500mah (same as Shockli 5500mah) that is quite good. They carry with or without protection circuits.
The iJoy 4200 is a good high drain 26650 for when you need lots of amps.

Their current 26650 selection is a bit small.

Wow since when did they “downgraded” their cell rating? For once well done I have to say.

Still some old stock can be found in AliExpress, very little though: https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=keeppower+26650+6000mah

Typical capacity of such cell at 0.2C rating is 5700+mAh, remember PLB rates at 1C.

I think it was maybe 2 or 3 months ago.

Would it be fair to say the max MAH for
18650 =3400mah
26650= 5500mah

Any battery claiming to be above those figures should be avoided as even the very best manufacturers haven’t achieved cells above those capacities yet.

(this eliminates a great number *.fire & green wraps)

You are nearly correct.
Use this table: List of tested batteries
Click on the header of the 0.2A column to sort with highest capacity first.
Then you can select battery size in the size column and see the largest capacity I have seen.

Brilliant Table, My god a lone .Fire battery actually achieved its stated capacity this has to be a world first?

Edit: oh no i read the wrong the column , they still lied.

Pretty much.
3500mah is the 18650 limit with cells such as the LG MJ1 and and Samsung 35E. I think there was a new cell labeled a 3600, but it actually measured closer to 3500.

5500mah is the limit for 26650 although Keeppower used 6000 on their older label. These PLB cells actually measure around 5750mah.

So any 18650 higher than 3600mah and any 26650 higher than 6000mah are probably misrepresenting themselves.

PS, I think the highest capacity 21700 is 5200mah, but new ones are popping up all the time.

Thank you for the review and comments.
I have a few of them which I got pretty cheap and given the high current I’m thinking of using them to make a pack for my 18V chainsaw.
Upon 1A testing, the record capacity among 10 tested cells was 5991mAh, which is pretty nice.
So instead of using 5S4P 18650s (which was getting me near 12Ah) I’m willing to sacrifice them to try a 5S2P setup with this type of cell.

Pound for pound (volume to volume) the 18650 and 21700 from the big 5 Japanese companies have the highest capacity.
Consider that the 26650 has right around double the volume of an 18650 cell. If they made an 26650, which they dont, it would be 7000mah.

I’m guessing the cells they used in the battery pack were not the highest capacity? They tend to use cheaper cells to keep costs down.

With chainsaws, you need very low resistance, which usually means, lower energy density in exchange for higher power density.